05/07/2008

stress.music.video.by.justice.is.lame.

Dear Xavier,

I'm sure you've neglected to notice that it has been a long time since I've publicly fawned over you. One could say that you and Justice were my summer romance of 2007, lingering long into the autumn months but eventually falling flat as winter came and went. I might as well admit that the raining sweat of scenesters and raver kids from your MySpace concert more or less washed any remaining sentiments of affection.

Nevertheless, I felt the need to write this note to you since recently you've been acting up the part of the obnoxious ex-boyfriend, what with your irrational and non-explanatory motions of whoring yourself out while trying to maintain that cool, composed, aura of a skinny jeaned deity. This is heavily pronounced by your newly released music video for the track Stress, which has caused much astir within the French community (as revealed to me by one hungry frenchman) and Justice fans alike. For context, I've provided the video below:

To start, I'll plain admit that Stress is my least favorite track on â , but I still have a lot of questions. How do you feel after watching that video, Xavier? Do you feel dignified that your video encapsulates a set of Justice flavored miscreants that truly define the 'edgier', converse-wearing, side of electronica? I'm sure their acts of chaotic, nonsensical chic-violence will truly define the real fans from the lesser strata of MySpace buffoons in a heart beat, while simultaneously convincing the confused parties to go ahead and purchase the conveniently 'Now for Sale!' Justice leather jacket with matching jeans.

All a matter of opinion, of course, but here are two tips that I think you should focus on:

1. Stop making shitty music videos for the sake of hype. (Your last two were fantastic, so find another way to express yourself cathartically)

2. Start making music. (Touring is no excuse. You need a new album. Pronto.)

[this is good] This is a horrible music video. The only nice thing about it is that this is allowed as a freedom of expression or whatever. If this video is aired in Japan, there will be outrageous complaints from watchers and it'll be banned, because uh, they hate it.

In addition to film references, the "Stress" video captures some of the sentiments among French immigrant youth during the 2005 riots. Police clashed with youths and over 8000 cars were set on fire during the riots, which lasted well over a week.

I think the jackets were simply used as a device to tie the gang together with the track. The jackets are not an indication that Justice actually approves of the actions enacted by those kids.

The video also falls in line with Director Romain-Gavras's previous works which look into the environment and people of certain subcultures. However, the "Stress" video isn't as humourous.

Although it may be discomforting for some of you to watch, the video goes well with the track. Both are quite raw.

I'll be the first to admit that I was not at all aware of the historical or cinematic references/context that this video apparently speaks to, thanks be to Simon for giving me the heads up about it. This evidence certainly gives the violence in the video more body and significance, but I still fail to see what the point is.

If the point was to make a reference to the incidents of 2005 through startling imagery and violence, the video did a fantastic job. The jarring acts of the adolescents tromping through the city causing chaos effect the viewer with levels of visual brutality that rarely if ever surface to the mainstream media.

But where does that leave the viewer by the end of the video? No moral is learned, no message is communicated other than a hyper-violent re-enactments of the riots. Given the historical context these scenes are no metaphor. These boys are not our heroes, yet the glorification of their acts followed by the camera seem to elicit a sort of 'badass' glamor to their violence.

This is particularly capitalized upon by their matching converse sneakers and their fashion saavy Justice jackets. The Justice jackets are the only point of departure from the apparently accurate historical reference to the riots. What does Justice and their club-happy electronica success have anything to do with this? What virtue does Justice achieve by stamping their symbol on the backs of these rioters? The most consistent imagery we have is the view of the † symbol on the gang's jackets.

Of course I don't think Justice is supporting this violence. What does seem evident, to me however, is an attempt to re-brand the current fun time fame they've received from the masses for the tracks D.A.N.C.E. and DVNO, back to a gritty elite hipster-cred that they're readily starting to lose.

In other words the video, for me, would have been very different if the acts if violence didn't have the Justice symbol plastered all over their every move.

im a bit torn with this one. i tend to see this mostly on the side of
'echosanswer', having clued in to the fact that the video was hinting at events and
film references while watching it; though i think the tone of the comment was a bit
off-putting. i also see where '.tiff' is coming from, with the
aversion to the seeming capitalization/glorification of these acts of
violence.

i think it's a cop out to say "oh, the point is to get people talking;
and bring these events to light". while i think there's validity in
that, it's just to easy to leave it at that as a main answer/reaction,
and im glad no one did.

although i see why you wouldn't want violence to be branded with a "†";
visually it brings unity to the piece and has you understand who is who
and gives you a certain expectation, which adds to the tension of the
video for an aptly titled "stress", even though the song came first. i
think the interplay between music and visuals plays well, if not a
little long... i don't think it's completely a glorification thing,
though i could see how we could be conditioned to think that given
media criticism of many facets of entertainment these days; if you
think of the alternatives, i think the branding with the "†" was the
best option. if they leave them as random people dressed different
from one another, it lacks cohesion; if they make up a fake gang, it's
less believable; and if they dressed in just black with no "†", then
there's less emphasis/focal points, especially in a video with such low color saturation. so in short, i think the Justice †s were more for visuals than straight marketing, even though it could work for that, too... if it makes you want them more, seeing them worn by such people while committing these acts... or if you just support Justice and their gall to make a video like this, given the success from the kinds of videos they've been making up to this point.

the video adds diversity to their burgeoning catalog of videos; instead of just adding on to their graphic designer exercises that aren't exactly challenging any sort of social issues.

that said, i like the video and don't have too many issues with it; i do think, though, that it sort of has exposed us to the fact that the things we watch on tv, e.g. the news, has softened us up, especially in the US, and maybe that's why this video is getting some of the reactions from people that it has gotten; though i do not find those reactions particularly invalid, in and of themselves.

just the fact that this video has stirred up such comotion is kudos to the creators, actors, directors etc.

the fact that it caused such contraversy in a world where things like "bumfights.com"(real and inhuman), dafur genocide(real and morbidly inhuman) and g.w. bush (real and unhuman) exist is plain silly.

the "stress" video, an obvious piece of reality based fiction, with actors, directors and even humorous references to the band it's promoting (the gang stomping out the car stereo and throwing it out the window when D.A.N.C.E. starts playing) has done it's job superbly. it fits the title of the song, the mood, the music and the viewers emotional state perfectly.

the fact that normal people (and in an act of blind faith i'm putting in that catagory all the people commenting on this video and blog) find violence, in general, gut wrenching and repulsive does not make it any less omnipresent in our everyday lives. wherever and whoever you are i'm sure you've been faced with some kind of violence in your lifetime. it's not pleasent but closing our eyes to it does not make it go away. i'm not saying that presenting violence should cause unto itself, but let's not be hypocrites. the same people dissin' this vid, calling for a ban and saying it's promoting senseless violence without any deeper merit are probably the same people who loved Heath Ledger's Joker in "the dark knight" saying it's the best part of the film, couldn't get enough of the character and just kept waiting for what he's gonna blow up next. oh but that's just a movie. and this is just a video. with less make up. (kinda like marylin manson DIDN'T indirectly slaughter all those people in columbine).

the video is clearly a social critique. CLEARLY. a critique of the behaviour it's portraying (obviously since it's coming off a video from a band who's previous video was called D.A.N.C.E.). if you didn't view this as a piece of documentary-style social commentary asking yourself why the f"#k would anyone just beat the shit outta random people and what caused this to come about and instead saw it as violence advocacy or as calling to you for more of the same i suggest you seek professional help. the fact that the band didn't put captions under the scenes condoning these actions and left it up to you, the viewer to come to sensible conclusion is YOUR shortcoming dear viewer not the bands.

you shouldn't blame music videos for maladjusted and deviant social behaviour. that's like blaming the producers of "the downfall" (a movie about adolf hitler's final days in the undergorund bunker) as a romantic epitaf and sorrowfull lament for the fuhrer. silly....

people pointing out that the band was clearly over the line by putting their symbol, the cross, on the backs of the gang's jackets is absolutley laughable. the symbol was there to unify the video's main protagonists and accentuate that it's a justice video. nothing more to it. a pretty basic plot point.

taking this video so serious as to fear that the next time you're in the street some fool copycatting it will spray with car paint, kick you in the groin, carjack you and smash yr acustic guitar is like never going into the woods ' cause the blair witch is gonna get you. that was as fake as this video! just beacuse something is hard to look at does not mean it's not woth showing or is wrong to show. confronting issues has always led to, more or less, solving issues and breaking taboos and boundries e.g. punk, the civil rights movement, hip hop, marcell duchamp, dave chapelle, warren ellis, weird al yankovich, al bundy....

It's THEIR VIDEO, and THEIR TRACK, THEIR MUSIC, AND THEIR CAREER. Who are you to tell them to make another album? Or that you don't care for their music video? It is their choice, not yours. "If you don't enjoy this shit, you can get outa here." - Uffie.

Hi people great blog i like the video and don't have too many issues with it; i do think,
though, that it sort of has exposed us to the fact that the things we
watch on tv, e.g. the news, has softened us up, especially in the US,
and maybe that's why this video is getting some of the reactions from
people that it has gotten; though i do not find those reactions
particularly invalid, in and of themselves.by the way let me tell you Generic Viagrais the best medication to cure ED

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You should have investigated the director of the film, someone who is part of a collective, who is located in the french suburban ghetto, where the African kids supposed to come from.

Most importantly at the end of the video, the garbled french at the end is, "Does filming this get you off, you S.O.B?"

It is a reaction to the portrait painted by the media of immigrants. Portrayed without context for the reasons for their violence they become inhuman and worthy of "eliminating" - a call frequently made by the fascists in Europe and America - which in turn further isolates them from the French who oppress them and attack them with senseless systemic violence, economic exploitation and discrimination.